Culinary Cultural Exchange

Imagine an Indian meal and thoughts of spices immediately start to tickle the senses. Flame-hued chilies, glowing yellow tumeric powder, brick-red mustard seeds and feathery green coriander leaves all add color and aroma to the cornucopia of curries, soups, dals, pickles and chutneys found across the Subcontinent.

It was the allure of "black gold", of pungent sun-dried pepper berries, which drew Portuguese renaissance merchants to the Malabar Coast and kept them captivated by Goa and the spice trade for almost half a century. And even today, the cultivation of spices is perpetuated on plantations throughout the hinterland of the tiny Indian state. Hence, from an historical perspective, Goa offers food enthusiasts an ideal setting in which to learn more about the significance of spices in the different cuisines of India and practice cooking with them hands-on.

Avalon Inn and Olive House are very pleased to introduce a series of food preparation seminars entitled Culinary Cultural Exchange to be held at Olive House, Junas Waddo, Mandrem Beach. The course comprises a total of 60 teaching units, each of 1 hour length, given over the span of 15 days.

The inaugural batch is scheduled as follows: 20 March - 05 April 2012 / Minimum Enrollment: 5

Additional batches are slated for autumn of 2012 and spring of 2013:

15 - 30 October 2012	15 - 30 March 2013
05 - 20 November 2012	01 - 15 April 2013
Minimum Enrollment: 9	Minimum Enrollment: 9

About the Lecturer

Deepak Sopan Warke is a graduate of the Institute of Hotel Management in Bangalore and trained at the prestigious Taj in Mumbai. Since 2007, he is chef at Olive House in Mandrem - Goa, which serves authentic specialty cuisine including Indian, Tandoori, Continental, Chinese and Thai. Topics covered in the inaugural season by Chef Deepak and his assistant Romy Gupta will include:

♦ A Geographical Portrait - a description of cuisines in different parts of India
♦ The Importance of Spices - identification and characteristics of Indian spices
♦ Basics of Preparation - how to cook and achieve aroma
♦ Practical Preparation - gravies, biryanis & rices, tikkas, Indian breads, sweets and more *)

*) as per attendees' particular preferences and depending on the size of the group

About the Package

Culinary Cultural Exchange is being offered as an all-in-one package which includes the following:

♦ Accommodation at Avalon Inn
♦ Full board at Olive House - breakfast, lunch & dinner (excl. drinks)
♦ Course Tuition (including ingredients, use of the venue, apron & notebook)
♦ Administration Fee

To secure enrollment, participants are obliged to remit payment for the complete package in advance. In the event of cancellation or no-show for whatever reason, this deposit will not be returned or made transferable.

Participants are responsible to book and pay for their own flights. Airport pick-up to the venue can be ordered at extra charge. Goa is a treasure trove of things to see and do, so extensions of stay beyond the duration of the respective course are very welcome. Erika Shantz, Director at Avalon Inn and course administrator, will be glad to assist in every way possible.

If you are looking for a culinary cultural sensation which stimulates all the senses in a way possible only in India, then search no further. Please direct all queries and/or bookings by email to the attention of:

Erika Shantz
Co-Director
Avalon Inn
364 Asvewada, Near Mandrem Church
Mandrem 403527 - Goa, India
info@erikapearlvilla.com